


Relationships

by azr



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2012-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 22:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azr/pseuds/azr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rise starts noticing all her friends hooking up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Relationships

**Author's Note:**

> this was my very first fanfic ever, written around the time persona 4 first came out in english. it's really bad & i haven't changed it at all besides some grammatical and punctuation editing, but maybe someone will enjoy it. critique is really welcome
> 
> about rise mentioning a contract: japanese pop idols are often under a contract not to date (even privately) and they get in huge amounts of trouble with producers and fans alike if they are discovered to have a romantic partner.

It didn't take Rise very long to see what was happening among the IT, being the one whose job was to watch the others with an eagle's eye. But then even an idiot could see the differences in dynamics.

She told herself she didn't care, that it was great her friends all seemed to be hooking up with each other, really, she's happy for them! 

Yeah, maybe it hurt a little, that first time she saw Souji and Yosuke sitting together after an exercise run through Mitsuo's dungeon. They both looked just about to collapse (they'd run out of medicine a while ago and didn't have enough to pay that thieving fox), yet they were sitting really close, hands entwined behind them. She'd paused for a minute, and then rushed on to go speak with Naoto ~~so she wouldn't have to think about Sempai not reciprocating her feelings anytime soon~~ so they wouldn't see her and be embarrassed for being caught in such a position.

If Souji ever noticed Rise reigning back on the flirting he never mentioned it, and mostly she was glad. Maybe a little disappointed. But there's plenty of fish in the sea right?

Like Kanji. Big, strong Kanji with a heart of felt and ribbons. Maybe he wasn't who Rise usually thought of as handsome- too large, too tough, trying too hard to look terrifying. But after getting to know him, the real him, the Kanji who enjoyed nothing more than making tiny, overly-detailed dolls for little kids and talking about the newest fabric his mother got for her kimono, Rise was definitely taking a shine to him. He was kind, fairly confident, and the "i do what i want and fuck you" attitude had a certain attraction. Kanji maybe had a rough appearance but she could see a really great person underneath it. The more she thought about him, the more she started flirting with him like she did sempai, and the more she hoped that Kanji's constant denial of being into men was true.

And turns out it was, which she found out upon witnessing him kissing Naoto outside his mother's storefront one night. The kiss was more a quick peck on the lips, trying to be more but falling away from their embarrassment, made even more awkward by the size difference. But even through red faces and eyes too afraid to look at one another, they were both smiling from ear to ear, and there was obvious affection in their joking good-byes and good-nights to one another. Rise had made sure to stand against a dark, long-closed store, hopefully out of sight, and when Naoto began her trek home Rise quickly did the same.

She shouldn't be feeling as upset as she was. It's not like she ever voiced any attraction she may have had for Kanji. It's not like they were ever close to being a couple. And it honestly, it made sense, with how flustered and shy Kanji got whenever Naoto was around. They were good for each other- complimented each other. Rise was happy for them. _Honest_.

Why did all her friends seem to be hooking up with each other? Sharing difficult experiences often pushed others together, if tv soaps and romantic dramas were anything to go by, but for two different sets of friends to get together was a little surprising ~~and more than enough to make her bitter. She was a cute idol, successful, kind (right?). Who _wouldn't_ want her?~~

She felt better knowing Chie and Yukiko were in the same position. Bringing up team-mate gossip with them one day, while they sat out one dungeon run after a particularly powerful shadow on a rainy day, she talked about how everyone else seemed to be planning to get married and how funny it was. Chie and Yukiko, though, they just got really quiet and awkward, shifting uncomfortably until Yukiko changed the subject to some promotional event at the inn and if Rise's grandmother would be against large bulk orders of tofu for catering.

Rise wasn't confused about their reaction for long. After getting out of the TV, everyone heading their separate ways, she saw Yukiko going home with Chie, holding each others hands and quietly laughing to one another, faces close, hips touching. So that's why, huh.

A few days later she wound up in the Junes food court, wanting to be alone but sitting at home was pretty lonely with her grandma working the storefront. She was chewing on some noodles and she must have looked as frustrated as she felt because suddenly a loud, squeaky voice was shouting out her name and a big red-and-blue ball of fur bounding to her side.

"Rise-chan, what are you doing sitting here all alone! You must have wanted some noodles beary much, huh, not coming with a friend?" Teddy was his usual cheery self, oblivious to how shitty Rise knew she must have looked on her face. But he's just a dumb bear. For all his talk about 'scoring', it's not like he'll ever be dating anyone ~~and if Teddy of all people starts dating before she does, well, that would just be the icing on this cake of shit feelings~~.

"Rise? Are you okay?" She looked up with a start, clamping down on her noodles hard enough to break them so they tumbled back to her bowl. Teddy was concerned (well, as concerned as he could look in a giant bear suit.) 

"Aw, Ted, I'm fine. I guess I'm just thinking too much." Teddy nodded, like this was all the information he needed to fully understand the situation.

"When I start thinking too much about things, I go visit Nana-chan so we can play games together! Maybe we can go play together, Rise-chan? Or... or we can score some hot studs together!"

She couldn't help giggling a little at this. But that just brought up more thoughts of everyone apparently "scoring" but her. "That's the problem, isn't it... I wasn't a thought in Sempai or Kanji-kun's minds. Even Yukiko and Chie had each other... I guess I'm just gonna be the lone-wonder Idol, not allowed to date even when my contract is up and done with."

A silence stretched on for several minutes, Teddy standing and curiously silent, Rise looking dejectedly at her bowl as she pushed half-eaten noodles about. 

"Rise... Humans, you live for a pretty long time. You're still young, right? I'm sure someday, you'll score the perfect hot stuf for you. It's weird how everyone else in the Investigation Team are getting beary extra close to each other. And, sometimes, I also feel extra-left out because of it! Though, I don't understand it like you do... But you and me don't need hot studs now, not when we have each other! We don't need to go scoring anyone if you don't want to, we can just eat noodles and play those video games where the colorful animals fight each other! Just the two of us! Or maybe we can invite Nana-chan... Everyone without a hot stud is invited!"

All through this speech, Teddy seems to blaze, getting more and more intense, and Rise can't help but be laughing by the end. "You're right Ted! I'm not some, like, old granny. I'm a successful young women who can do what she wants. And I can get a boyfriend whenever I want, it doesn't need to be now! Like, I can't get one now because I'm under a contract anyway... I can worry about all that in the future! Right now I should just enjoy life as it is, with my friends, forget all that romance stuff. It's too complicated."

"Complicated things are the worst!" Teddy nodded, and grabbed Rise's hand, pulling her up to stand. "Come on, my shift is almost done! We can ask Sensei if it's okay for Nana-chan to come play games with us at... Do you have games at your house Rise-chan?"

"We can go to the arcade in Junes and play there. I'm sure Nanako-chan would enjoy that." And Souji and Yosuke can have some alone time... Look, she's already being a better friend with regards to this relationship mess.

Suddenly Rise felt a lot lighter. She was worrying about something that she had all her life to prepare for. She was still in high school even! Whose to say she wouldn't find some nice man in college? Once her contract was officially up she could worry about dating and relationships all she wanted.

For now, though, she felt like playing mindless video games with her favorite bear, and her favorite little sister. 

No matter how bright or dull the future may look, it can always wait.


End file.
